No flash please and don't tap on the glass!

Very strange is the situation when the biggest attraction after the men's 100m final ends up being the photo work room. But it was. As people emptied the National Stadium they walk by the fishbowl-like photo workroom. It was very strange to work and look over and always see people looking in and taking pictures. In fact it was so bad staff had to put up some "no flash light" signs!

- Steve Russell

Choosing the right photo position for you.

Ah, Olympic photo positions, lots of fun and the position a photographer  takes depends on each photographer.

For instance, at the swimming venue there are 14 photo positions, and by position, I mean an area that can hold as little as two photographers to as many as 200.

Of those 14 positions about half are available, some are swimming specific, some diving and some synchro.

Position 2 at swimming pictured above is a popular spot as it is close to the Start/Finish line for swimming. It is a nice angle on the starts and offers a great view of the jubo or dejection. The position does have it limitations: there are three officials sitting to the left that block the view down the pool for people in the bottom rows as well as some railings that block the view for the people on the left side of the tribune.

The position has a limited amount of seating, around 50 photographers, each sitting in one seat with a long lens (300 or 400) and a shorter zoom (80-200) and a laptop!

And because this is such a high-demand position you have to show up at the venue at least two hours before the session to line up for a ticket and then are escorted in 30 minutes before the event.

Things I consider when choosing a photo position are:

Is it a final? At some venues, like swimming, you cannot move between positions during competition.

Which lane/diving board/piste/track/etc. is the Canadian Athlete competing on?

Where is Michael Phelps?

How much of the Field of Play can I cover?

How clean are the backgrounds?

Where is Michael Phelps?

How much space do I have?

Will my pictures be different but good from the masses?

Which lenses did I bring with me?

And where is Michael Phelps?

At swimming I've shot mostly from the number one position, but also explored a high position for one session.

Lucas has shot from the number two position and Richard from the number one position, but, higher up and closer to the starting area. Both with great results.

Yesterday when rowing was cancelled because of rain, I was looking for something to shoot, I arrived at the pool after the program had started and inquired about the below water positions. There were positions available, but, there was water on the floor.

I jumped at it since my feet were already soaked from rowing!

And here is the view of the hallwall under the pool and one of the many photo assistants.

-Steve Russell

Big Brother is Reading You

It is amazing how we take our Internet for granted back in Canada. Wireless systems are everywhere and it has become an indispensible tool for nearly everyone, journalists included. To access the web here for the Olympics, journalists must pay either $500 for a wired connection which is reliable but there are very very few wires around; or $500 gets you a wireless system which is slow and prone to crashing. Either system only worked in approved Olympic work venues and that does not include our accomodations. With an already busy day, it can be a real nuisance finally getting back to our room after midnight and having to go to the next building over to their workroom to check a quick email.
The Internet does work and although I can read thestar.com online, I am not allowed access to this very blog. I don't know what is wrong with Star blogs, but they are censored anyway. As a constant reminder of the Internet issues here, in the Olympic village, directly between the Main Press Centre and the famed Water Cube are 3 large, black ominous buildings which are said to house hundred if not thousands who are monitoring every email and transmission made by the press.
It is an odd feeling that your every electronic move is monitored, I just wish someone in the imposing black buildings would respond to some of the many unimportant emails I get each day so I can get a little more sleep.

-Richard Lautens

Bare hands banned

Unruly fans at the Olympic baseball venue in Beijing disobeyed repeated warnings from the batboy to refrain from catching balls with bare hands during a game between Canada and China today.

The sign makes it pretty clear, don't you think?

But do you think fans would listen?

Noooooo.

H2O Logistics

Workers sit outside what will be a store after the Olympics, but now houses the water supply for the 6,000 journalists and officials living at the North Star Media Village.

The logistics surrounding water must be incredible. Free water is supplied to media everywhere.
They have to because you cannot take it through security.

With the humidity through the first week here we are drinking it like...well, water!

At the Canada vs Argentina soccer game, I drank eight bottles and was still thirsty!
-Steve Russell

Olympics on the move

Don't get me wrong, covering the Olympics is perhaps the greatest assignment you could ever hope for. The emotion, the uniforms, the different sports, the world-wide interest are all great, but the one thing that makes it very difficult to cover is the travel.

It is a huge enterprise staging an Olympics and, by default, the venues and accommodations and offices must be spread out. Each of us are trying to cover 3 or so events a day. Typically this will entail 4 hours of travel time a day. Our media village where we stay is a half-hour bus ride away from the Main Press Centre. The main press centre is the hub for travel to all other venues, which are each a half-hour to 3 1/2 hours away. The buses of course are never ready to go when you are so there is the wait time.
There are always taxis, which are cheap, but this morning I missed an event because I couldn't get a cab for an hour, then he got lost and I ended up walking several kilometres to the venue - not a great option.

Several days ago I went to shoot women's soccer. I left the media village at 9:30 a.m., got to the press centre and on a bus at 10:30 to go to the soccer venue. 3 1/2 hours later we arrive at the soccer venue (only one bus a day), two games take place including the Canadian women vs. China and bus departs at 11:30 p.m., arrives at main press centre at 3 a.m. - wait for bus to media village, arrive media village 4 a.m., 5-minute shuttle or 15-minute walk to my building and finally home.

Shooting the events is the perk of the job, it is getting there that seems like work.
-Richard Lautens

GALLERY: View Richard's photos from the Canada-China women's soccer match

1444 good... 0444 bad

 
As always, every accredited photographer at the Olympics is issued a vest with his or her own number.  This year one of the thousands of vests, issued by Kodak, was held behind the counter.  The 0444 vest was not issued based on the Chinese superstition of the unlucky number 4.  Apparently the Chinese pronunciation of the number is a homonym also meaning death.

I was issued vest number 1444 and I’m still feeling lucky and relatively healthy.

-Lucas